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Impartial Judgment (Magill Book Reviews)

For better or for worse, Jim Tunney’s book is basically what one would expect from an experienced professional referee. He describes himself as, if not a frustrated athlete, then at least as a person who once had a dream of pitching for the Yankees but simply did not have the talent. He is not particularly defensive about his occupation, or haunted by the claim that those who can, do, while those who cannot, referee. Instead, he argues that officiating not only is a legitimate way of participating in sports but also is absolutely essential. Without skilled officials who are knowledgeable, dedicated, and meticulously prepared for each game, football in particular would cease to be the exciting but orderly entertainment package it now is.

The qualities that make for a good referee, though, and the fact that impartiality and invisibility on the field are the major goals of an official, tend to work against Tunney in writing a book. Traditionally, referees are not supposed to be dramatic, controversial, or entertaining, and this limits the scope of his writing. One may be sure that Tunney knows many dramatic, controversial, and entertaining stories; scattered throughout the book are a few intriguing anecdotes that only someone as close to the game as a referee would be in a position to tell. Tunney shies away from making these stories the central part of his book, however, perhaps in part because, as he notes in the acknowledgments, the league told him not to write about players and coaches still active. As a result, many of Tunney’s character sketches are respectful homilies about past heroes: Vince Lombardi, predictably, appears repeatedly as the great father-figure of football, and even John Madden is pictured as more of a wise than a wild man.

Ron Luciano’s books show that sports officials need not always be staid, but Tunney stays with the straight and narrow. This is in keeping with the broader message of IMPARTIAL JUDGMENT, which is not only a sports book but also--and perhaps primarily--a very conservative, business-oriented essay on management and motivation. The sports field is a testing ground for Tunney’s observations on how to retain one’s personal integrity and judgment during moments of stress, and the advice he offers to business executives in his frequent speaking engagements conveniently overlaps with the qualities he respects in great athletes: positive attitude, willingness to change, clearly defined goals, focus, and so on. Football fans may wonder whether this approach captures the essence of a sport that belongs at least as much to free-spirits such as Paul Hornung and Dick Butkus as it does to such organization men as Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, and may wish that Tunney had spent more time analyzing and conveying the look and feel of the game rather than preparing a seminar for owners who may own but never carry the ball.